Jazz Music
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Films
Bix, an Interpretation of a Legend
Bix is a 1991 Italian drama film directed by Pupi Avati and starring Bryant Weeks. The plot is about the final years of cornet player Bix Beiderbecke. The film was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Bryant Weeks plays American jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke in an account of his life. Mark Sovel plays his friend and collaborator, sax saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer. The film focuses on his conflicts with his family and his relations with the prominent jazz musicians of the 1920s, such as Hoagy Carmichael, Joe Venuti, Pee Wee Russell, Don Murray, and Paul Whiteman.
Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
“Sun Valley Serenade is a 1941 musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nicholas Brothers. It also features Dorothy Dandridge performing “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996, and was awarded the first Gold Record for sales of 1.2 million.” (Wikipedia)
The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)
“The Fabulous Dorseys is a 1947 fictionalized biographical film that tells the story of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey from their boyhood in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania through their rise, their breakup, and their personal reunion. The film is a musical, but has many comic overtones. The Dorsey Brothers star as themselves. Other actors include Janet Blair, William Lundigan, Sara Allgood, and Arthur Shields. Janet Blair demonstrates that she is a highly competent singer.” (Wikipedia)
The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
“The Benny Goodman Story is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal-International in 1956. The film is based on the life of famed clarinetist Benny Goodman, who recorded most of the clarinet solos used in the film. The film captures several major moments in Goodman’s life but it has been described as less than accurate in details.” (Wikipedia)